Wolves at the Door

The fresh vegetables were already gone, leaving behind only two wilting cantaloupes on the counter. A single sack of rice sat in the corner of the pantry, gifted weeks earlier by distant relatives whom the Cross family had mocked for bringing such a cheap, peasant offering. Now, that hundred-pound bag stood as their solitary lifeline.

Gavin sank into the worn leather sofa, his brow knotting as he